Italian Herb Roast Chicken & Vegetables

I love roast chicken and, for the longest time, was afraid of attempting to roast them whole at home because I always thought it would be hard for some reason and I would end up with really dry chicken. So I just settled for store bought rotisserie chicken and even then, they were sometimes dry or lacking in flavor.

Chocolate Biscotti

Back in May of this year, there was a big hoo-hah about coffee being really good for you. The L.A. Times and the Huffington Post both reported that drinking at least one cup of coffee per day could increase your life span by 5 to 6%. Drink at least 3 cups and your life span increases by over 10%.

Italian Wontons + Sewing Class Potluck

Just 8 weeks ago, GG and I were newbies to sewing and what a long way we've come thanks to our wonderful sewing teacher, Regina. Today marked the end of our workshop and we celebrated with -- what else -- food of course!

I originally wanted to make my usual chinese style pork wontons but GG said she would be bringing pasta so I thought, why not make an Italian wonton? Because I was pressed for time, I didn't get a chance to make a dipping sauce but next time, I'll definitely make some type of sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar-ish sauce to go with it. Still, I think they turned out pretty good.

30-minute dinner: Crunchy Orzo Salad + Quick Italian Chicken

With the kids back at school and our weekly routine back in full swing, I'm back to making quick weeknight dinners, except this time, I'm aiming to make them even healthier. Last night's dinner was whipped up in 30 minutes...no kidding! Ok, maybe 45 minutes tops but if you're a fast mover in the kitchen like I tend to be, 30 minutes will be all the time you need.

Italian Wedding Soup

Lovely winter weather finally hit Southern California today -- cloudy, drizzly and just a tad chilly. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it all went away tomorrow and 80 degree temps came back to haunt us again. Unpredictable weather is just something that we Southern Californians have to live with regardless of what season we're in. For now though, a nice hearty bowl of soup like this Italian wedding soup is the order of the day.

Lighter Pasta Primavera

I've only had Pasta Primavera once in my lifetime and since then, have never ordered it again as vegetables drenched in a heavy cream-based sauce is just not my cup of tea. But then, I chanced upon Giada de Laurentiis' Pasta Primavera recipe and her version sounded so tempting, I just had to try it. There's no cream in her recipe but what it does have are seasoned, oven-roasted veggies tossed with pasta and finished off with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Classic Meatballs with Homemade "BBQ" Sauce

Today's post is special in my eyes. Why? Because it's our first beef post. Yes, FIRST ONE EVER after almost three months of blogging and more than three dozen recipes. I've even mentioned it to Gingham Girl (on more than one occasion) that we seriously need to post a beef recipe but it just never happened until now. I'm guessing that, like me, she's not a big red meat eater herself.

Rotini Salad

My husband and I decided to take a drive to Hacienda Heights last Saturday, which is about 20 miles East of Los Angeles, to visit the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple for the first time.  Let me tell you, I had no idea there was such a gem hidden in the hills of Hacienda Heights. 

Quick Vegetable Soup

There are days when I crave a good tomato based soup and today's one of those days. Back in my college days, I would satisfy such a craving with canned Campbell's Tomato Soup but of course, those days are long gone and I'd like to think I've evolved into a more adept cook armed with better kitchen equipment beyond a cheap can opener and a microwave.

Eggplant and Sun-dried Tomato Spread

When my brother was visiting a couple of weeks ago, we had gone to a street fair/farmer's market not too far from where I live. I snapped tons of photos with the intent to share them in this post but sadly I lost most of them except for a handful. I'm still not sure how I lost them but one minute they were here and the next minute, they had all disappeared. What a bummer!

Eggplant Parmesan

First of all, I hope all the moms out there had a great Mother's Day! I had a lovely weekend myself starting with a little shindig at Gingham Girl's house. She and her hubby hosted a dinner party on Saturday to watch the Pacquiao v. Mosley boxing match. Even though the fight was greatly disappointing, GG's food was not. That girl cooked up a storm in the form of a mini buffet that fed 12 people, all on her own. Very impressive! I then enjoyed a very lazy Sunday, just how I like it. :)

Linguini with Mussels

Hello again everyone! It's been a while since I last posted here. I've been busy with work, and with that, it means that I have not had time to cook anything blog worthy. I'm a landscape designer outside of my blog life and I am thankful that I have clients these days. Anyway, I've managed to squeeze in this quick meal. The weather has been in the mid to high 80's the past few days, and when it gets hot I crave a light seafood meal.

Pizza Renaissance

Dictionary.com's fourth definition of renaissance is "a renewal of life, vigor, interest, etc.; rebirth; revival."



One night, I was craving California Pizza Kitchen's pizza. So, it was either I drive 12 miles to the nearest one or go to the freezer section of my grocery and buy a frozen CPK pizza. I gave it a moment of thought before I could decide, but I could not justify either one because, 12 miles was a little too far for me that night, just for a pizza, plus after everything is said and done, I would have spent somewhere close to $20 just to satisfy a craving. Not wise in this economy. And as for the second option, CPK's frozen pizza is never the same and I will be stuck with whatever variety my grocery carries.

Baked Macaroni

A quick and easy meal for casual get togethers and a perfect potluck item to take along.